Cotton-chopper.



PATENTED JAN. 15, 1907" W. T. WALTER.

COTTON CHOPPER.

APPLIOATION FILED NQV.16.1906.

[NV/i/VTOR.

A Time/v5 Y5 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. WILLIAM THoMAswAnTEeToiii'N LEToN. TEXAS.

COTTON-GHOPPE F i. I

Patented Jan. '15, 1907;

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM THOMAS 'WALTER, a citizen of the United States,

residing at Angleton, in the countyof Brazoria and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Cotton-Chopper, of which the following is a s ecification.

This invention as relation to cottonchoppers; and it consists in the novel construction and arrangement of its parts, as hereinafter shown and described;

The object of the invention is to provide. a chopper of the nature indicatedwhich may be easily and readily adjusted for cuttin out sections of the growing plants at desire intervals. The chopper consists, primarily, of a wheelmounted frame, to which is ivotally attached a chopper-frame, a ratc et-lever being located upon the wheel-mounted frame and beingconnected with the chopper-frame for raising and lowering the same. The chopper is of special construction and is journaled to the chopper-frame, It com prises a pair of disks provided at their peripheries with radially-extending recesses. T e end portions of cuttingeblades are located in said recesses, whilethe. extremities of the said blades are twisted or bent at right angles to the intermediate portions thereof and are adapted to bear a ainst the outer side of the said disksfto w 'eh sides the extremities of the blades are bolted. Thus a very substantial and. rigid structure is produced as the extremities of the blades. are attached directly to theouter surfaces of the disks and are seated ii the peripheral recesses of the same. The. structure also.

makes it possible for each individual cottonraiser to thin .his cotton according to his own individual taste or the condition of the soil. This is done by removing one or more of the said blades at intervals, so that the;

spaces left thereby will escapefthe growing plants, while the remaining bladesWilldestroy those that they come in. contact with.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the cotton-chopper'with parts in section. Fig. 2 is a top an vie vv of the chopper-frame with the c opper in section, and Fig. 3 is a perspective view .of one of the chopping-blades. l 5

The frame of the chopper consists of the tongue 1,"to the rear portion of which is attached the operators seat 2. The side bars -ing bolts 1-7l standingro I,

3 3 are attached to the tongue 1 near the rear end of the same and are supported at their rear ends by the upright portions-4 4 of the axle 5. The brace-rods 6 are attached at their forward ends to the tongue 1 and at their reareends to the upright portions 4 of the axle 5. The ratchet lever'7 is fulcrumed to the-gear-segment 8, and the rod 9 isconnected' at one end .to the working end of the said lever 7 'and at its other'end to the cutterframe 10. The coil-sprin 11 is interposed between a guide 12, attac ed to-the -vvheele mounted frame of the chopper and the cutterframe 10.. Said spring is under tension, the tendency of which is to maintain the cutterframe'in the lowest possible position, and at the same time offers a resilient resistance to the upward movement of the last said'frame' and its attachments with relation to the wheel-mounted frame. The said lever 7 and its connections maybe duplicated, as-illustrated in the drawings, if desired. The cutatthe lower end of the said cutter-frame 10. The said disks 13 are foraminous, and are thereby relieved 'of excessive and unnecessary weight. The peripheries of the disks 13 recesses, andthe-extremities the said 1 blades are-twistedor bent at right angles to the longitudinal axisf the intermediateouter fjacesfofg-the disksflB and are .secured theretobymeans portions thereof'and bear directly against the I c for thetransverselywxtend As above i 'dicated a structure; so -assembled-is 've r. frigid and is capable of withiigpsa' e; to'whic such an implement is s t jec'te ;By reasonof the fact that the cuttingblades 15 are seated near jtheir ends'in tlie eripheral recesses 14 of the \dis'ksig ha}.-"sa' gfined. virith rel'ajtion to eachother, so that disks .are positively conthey are caused" to rotate in unison, and, fur-j thermore, by positively attaching the extremities of the blades-.16 to the outer faces of-the disks 13 the saiddisksare confinedqagainst lateral movement for I vibration with re ation toeach'other. As above indicated, each operator may remove as many blades15 from the disks 13 as, condition or fancy may indicate, andthus he -ter-frame is pivoted at its forward end to .the tongue 1, and .the disks 13 are journaled may leave the growing plants at greater or less intervals, as he may deem to be to the best advantage in view of his soil conditions.

angles to their intermediate portions and Witnesses:

blades having their extremities bent at right means securing the blade extremities di- 15 rectly against the outer faces of the disks.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM THOMAS WALTER.

J. T. LQGGINS, FRANK W. STEVENS. 

